The present invention relates to an apparatus for storing and dispensing vials. Generally, the vials of the invention may contain liquid or solid compositions, and more particularly the vials will contain pharmaceutical compositions. The dispenser may be displayed in a suitable location for easy identification and removal of vials for use.
Physicians and nurses typically handle a plurality of vials of medicine, saline and other pharmaceutical compositions daily. Usually these vials are stored in manufacturer""s packaged container and kept refrigerated, or the vials can be stored openly on a storage shelf. However, due to the variety of products typically stored in vials, clinicians and nurses require a dispensing apparatus that provide easy access in the selection and removal of particular vials when necessary.
The prior art contains a selection of devices for storing and dispensing a plurality of containers such as vials, bottles, cans, etc. Generally, the containers are of a similar size and shape. The composition within the containers may be sorted within the device according to color, flavor, concentration, variety, etc.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,131,563, issued Jul. 21, 1992 to Yablans, assigned to Pop Display, Inc., teaches an article dispensing apparatus wherein identical articles are vertically aligned in a plurality of separate columns and held in contact with one another. Each column has a dispensing side and a storage side as well as upper and lower sides. The dispensing side of the column has upper and lower sides that cooperate to retain an article until it is dislodged from the column by lifting the lower end and removing the article. One side of a spring coil is resiliently attached to an upper-dispensing side of the apparatus while the second side of the coil is attached to an article pushing assembly. The length of the coil is sufficiently long so that the pushing assembly can extend over the top of the column to the storage side of the apparatus. The coil can be extended so that the pushing assembly is behind the last article on the storage side of the apparatus. In operation, when one article is removed from the column, the spring coil retracts and causes the pushing assembly to advance the remaining articles towards the dispensing side of the column. The resiliency in the coil will continue to retract and move the articles towards the dispensing side of the column until all the articles are removed therefrom.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,240,124, issued Aug. 31, 1993 to Kunz, assigned to Decision Point Marketing, Inc., teaches a point of sale push device. The device can be characterized as having a slidably mounted pusher on parallel rails, wherein the rails have a dispensing side and a closed side. The first end of an resilient coil is attached to the pusher and the second end of the coil is attached to the dispensing side of the rails to allow the pusher to slidably extend to the closed side of the device. The dispensing side of the device has a stop so that articles placed in the device are held there until lifted from the device. After an article is removed from the device, the resilient coil retracts the pusher towards the dispensing side of the device to advance the remaining articles.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,743,428 and 5,649,363 to Rankin, VI, issued Apr. 28, 1998 and May 5, 1998, respectively, assigned to Vulcan Spring and Manufacturing Co., teach an apparatus for dispensing items. Rankin, VI teaches a device similar to Yablans, however, the retractable spring coil is vertically mounted atop to column. The coil also has a consecutive numbering sequence printed thereon to coincide to the number of articles remaining in the column.
The foregoing prior art, while providing dispensing devices that display and advance a plurality of articles for easy selection, it fails to provide a device suitable for dispensing vials containing pharmaceutical compositions. A vial dispensing device that provides a sufficient separation of the front most vial from the remaining vial for easy identification and selection is required. A device that maximizes space as well as placement of the vials in the dispenser is also desired.
The present invention relates to an apparatus for storing and dispensing a plurality of like pharmaceutical articles, comprising a plurality of parallel aligned columns for storing the articles, the articles characterized as a first article, several articles, and a rear article contacting one another, each column having a bottom side for holding articles and a front opening for dispensing the articles, the first article being adjacent to the front opening and the remaining articles being held in the column behind the first article, the articles in the column being biased from the rear article towards the first article by resilient spring means, the apparatus further comprising a tilt ramp attached to the front opening at a sufficient length and decreased angle to the bottom side of the column to provide space between the first and several articles allowing the first article to separate contact from the several article for removal of the first article from the front opening, the next of several articles being biased toward the front opening by elastic means.
The invention further relates to a method for arranging several dispensers having the tilt ramp to provide improved identification and dispensing of articles.